Thoughts on today's Christian world and how it fits into secular society.

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Is God jealous?

You must worship no other gods, but only the LORD (Exodus 34:14, NLT).

Does God really care whether or not we call Him Jehovah, Buddha, Allah, or by many other names? If you know the Bible, you know the answer. He does care -- very much.

In these trying times, we are seeing more and more interfaith efforts calling for the unity of religions, jointly calling upon different gods for help. Or some probably believe they are all calling upon the same god, just by different routes.

It all sounds very religious, tolerant and broadminded. But Christians who believe the Bible should remember that the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6, NIV). He died for the sins of all people, cultures and religions.

God says, "You shall have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3, NIV), and, "I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God" (Exodus 20:5, NIV). He also said, ". . . I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols" (Isaiah 42:8, NIV).

We must remember that Jesus Christ is the Father's exact representation of Himself (Hebrews 1:3), and was God incarnate. Also, "No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also" (1 John 2:23, NIV).

God is jealous for Himself, His Son and His glory. He even warns nations of the consequences of not honoring the Son: "Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; Take warning, O judges of the earth. Worship the LORD with reverence, And rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son, lest He become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled" (Psalm 2:10-12, NASB).

Personally, I believe in building bridges of love with people of all religions, without compromising my love for and witness for our Lord Jesus Christ. I do so with the prayer that my love for our Lord will be communicated in a powerful way, both verbally and non-verbally. I try to evaluate everything I do with this criterion: Will it give me an opportunity to glorify our Lord and tell others about Him?

America is currently in a great spiritual dilemma. The unprecedented, unconstitutional and infamous Supreme Court decision in 1947 declaring the "separation of church and state" changed America into a pluralistic society, with Christianity considered marginal, at best.

Let us pray and work to bring this nation back to the God of the Bible and the God of our Fathers.